


Past Tense

by naasad



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Agent Carolina & Agent Washington are Siblings, Canon Jewish Character, Emotional Abuse, Family, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Manipulation, Mindfuck, Protective Siblings, jewish church family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-22
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-11-02 02:49:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17879660
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/naasad/pseuds/naasad
Summary: “Wait, really?” North asked, pulling away from his food fight with his sister. “You’re a twin?”Wash nodded.“So am I,” Carolina called from the corner, where she was working on reports. “Or… sowasI."





	Past Tense

**Author's Note:**

> Just your regularly scheduled angst, this time for a fandom I haven't posted in for forever. This has some potential to become a series with Director!Carolina and a much better PFL, but idk yet. Lmk what you think and I guess we'll see!

“What the hell?” Wash asked, walking into the mess hall to find North and South literally shoving food into each other’s mouths. “I’m not even going to ask.”

York laughed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “And that reaction, dear Wash, is how we know you’re an only child.”

Beneath his helmet, Wash raised an eyebrow. “I have a twin sister – five minutes younger than me, but older for all other intents and purposes – and a younger sister who died when I was a teenager.”

“Wait, really?” North asked, pulling away from his food fight with his sister. “You’re a twin?”

Wash nodded.

“So am I,” Carolina called from the corner, where she was working on reports. “Or… so _was_ I. He volunteered, was leaving for basic at Leonis Minoris, we fought, next I heard he was KIA somewhere in deep space.”

“Leonis Minoris?” York asked. “Hey, Wash, isn’t that where you were stationed? Maybe you two were there at the same time.”

Wash flinched.

Carolina looked up. “Were you really?” she asked.

This must be a test, he thought. He swallowed. “Yeah.”

Carolina set down her tablet and sat up, leaning forward. “Did you know a David Church?”

He took just a fraction too long to answer, mind racing, luckily, no one noticed. “No, sorry.”

Carolina nodded and looked down at her hands. “I don’t have many regrets. But I hope he knew I didn’t hate him.”

Wash shrugged out of York’s hold, turned on his heel, and left the room, trying to hurry to his bunk before he couldn’t keep the tears away any longer. He made it nearly there before he heard footsteps behind him.

“Wash!” Carolina caught up to him with ease. “I’m sorry, York told me what happened to your squad. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

David couldn’t keep it in any more. “Stop it,” he snapped, pushing her away.

“Hey!” Carolina stumbled and caught herself. “Look, I came out here to apologize-“

“You don’t have to.” Wash turned and gestured to the empty hallway. “No one’s around to watch. You don’t – You don’t have to keep it up.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

David shrugged. “That was a good line in there. About hoping your brother knows you don’t hate him.”

The punch blindsided him, knocked him prone.

Carolina never hit him.

She never hit him.

She _never_ hit him.

Dad – Leonard – The Director – but never Carolina.

**_Never._ **

Until now.

He started sobbing immediately as he clambered to his feet. “Fuck you,” he wept, “fu-“ He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t goddamn breathe. _Fuck_ the rules. He ripped off his helmet and threw it at her, leaning over on his knees as he tried to work through his panic attack enough to just fucking walk away.

Her arms came up around him, strangling him.

“Let go of me!” He screamed, struggling as hard as he could. “Let go! Let go!”

Carolina ran her hand through his hair, like she had when they were children. She was crying, too. “Wash – David – _Nechemya_ ….”

He relaxed into her arms, sobbing into her shoulder, face blooming red as he noticed the crowd gathering.

“I’m going to fucking kill him,” ‘Lina snarled into his ear. “He told me you were dead. He showed me fucking documents. What – what in hell did he tell you?”

Wash shook his head, holding on tighter.

“What’s going on?” North asked, ever the peace maker.

Carolina turned, instinctively shielding him, and the rest of the Freelancers took a step back en masse at the expression on her face. She pressed a kiss to the side of David’s head. “What did he tell you?” she demanded.

“He said you – He said you – You hate me,” Wash gasped between sobs. “You didn’t want me to be – be the other Carolina anymore.” He pulled back sniffling and rubbing at his face. “I was court-martialed, and you – You didn’t want me to – to go in the first place, but you – You thought I would’ve at least been competent at it. He said you didn’t even want to see my face, so I had to keep my helmet on at all times.”

Carolina shook her head, fuming. “The only reason I didn’t want you to go in the first place was because I didn’t want to lose you the _exact_ same way we lost Mom. I was mad because I was so, so worried. And then I thought you died, and I thought – I thought the only person I had left was _him_. So when he… _voluntold_ me to be part of this project, I went because where else could I go? He said he had someone to be the other Carolina, and I told him I didn’t want another Carolina. He never – He never mentioned. I never knew it was you.” She brushed a thumb over his cheek, looking horrified. “That’s going to bruise. God, Day, I’m so sorry.”

Wash’s face crumpled again, and his sister held him close.

Maine walked over then, grunting inquisitively.

Carolina pressed one last kiss to Wash’s forehead. “I need you to go with the Dakotas,” she said. “I’ll find you soon.”

Wash nodded and stepped back, hiding his face as best he could.

Carolina handed him his helmet, then turned to face the others. “North, South, take Wash to his bunk. Maine, Florida, with me. FILSS? Where the fuck is the Director?”

**Author's Note:**

> My intent is for Nechemya to be Wash's Jewish name. I'm not Jewish yet, so if you are, lmk if that needs to be done differently.


End file.
